If you’ve already bought your ticket from the Mets Cloisters location, you can walk right in and skip the line. This is everything I’ve been looking for in terms of a good mix of Roman mosaics, Greek bronze, European modern art, and seeing my French friends Seurat, Degas, Pissarro, and Monet again. I am addicted to pointillism and I cannot lie.
Perhaps the most famous painting in the museum is The Death of Socrates by Jacques Louis David depicting Socrates as he drinks poison to kill himself before being convicted by the Greeks of impiety. Confusingly, this Met also has some medieval art, overlapping with themes from Cloisters. I’d imagine that the branches would be better served with some specialization.
In my estimation, the American art side of things is severely underrated. While everyone is snapping selfies with one of Monet’s many Water Lilies that exist all over the world, they’re missing out on some true American gems. Sergeant’s Madame X with a shoulder strap that destroyed the subject’s life and Leutzer’s life-size Washington Crossing the Delaware are not to be missed. The American wing of the museum, if I can call it that, also has a Frank Lloyd Wright room from the Waverly House among other rooms filled with 19th-century American furniture.
Do I think it’s too Eurocentric? Yes. There is some African and Middle Eastern art, but the Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Korean art galleries were closed when I visited, so I can’t provide a full review. Competitors include the Chicago Institute of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. While not as balanced as its American counterparts, it’s definitely top tier.
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